Licence - Street Collections

Street Collection permits must be obtained from Basildon Borough Council.

Street Collection permits must be obtained from Basildon Borough Council before any street collection takes place within the Basildon Borough. The Basildon Borough includes Basildon, Laindon, Pitsea, Wickford and Billericay. Applications must be received at least one month prior to the date of the collection.

Applying for a Street Collection Licence

You can apply for a licence or supply a return online, through the Business Link website, by selecting one of the links below:

Alternatively, you can download an application form (see Related Downloads) which can be printed and returned to us at the address above.

Please ensure that you have read the Street Collections Policy before submitting your application.

Online applications will be acknowledged by email. Provided your application is correctly made, we will aim to process it within 21 working days. If this is not possible, we will inform you and provide an explanation as to the reason.

Tacit consent does not apply to this application because it is considered to be in the public interest for the local authority to process your application before it is granted. If you have not received a response by the end of the target completion period please contact us at the address above.

If you require any further information or have a complaint about this process please contact us.

In addition to the street collection permit, written application must be made immediately to the landowners giving details of the collection proposal. Specific permission will be required from the landowners if street collections are to be held in Basildon Town Centre or the Laindon Shopping Centre. Applications for this permission will be enclosed with the street collection permit and must be completed and returned to the landowners as soon as possible.

If the collection involves the erection of a stall or the staging of a display of any sort, i.e. music, dancing, etc., specific mention must be made of it. If you are requesting a permit for the sale of goods, you will need to specify the kind of items to be sold. If allowed only one small display or small table may be used. In some cases it may only be possible for a collection of money in sealed tins to be held.

Public liability insurance cover will be required for collections carried out in Basildon and Wickford. Failure to produce the required public liability insurance cover prior to the date of the collection may result in the collection being cancelled.

Basildon Borough Council allow two collections by each charity or other organisation to take place within the Basildon Borough in any one calendar year.

Basildon Borough Council may allow additional collections if held outside the large superstores, such as Tesco or Sainsbury, which are situated outside the town centre. In these cases written authority must be received from the store and applications for permits must be made in writing to Basildon Borough Council no later than one month before the proposed date allocated by the store.

Permit allocations are restricted to allow just two street collections at any one time in each High Street / town centre in any one day.

It is important that the statement of returns complies with the street collection regulations.

If returns are incomplete in any way, or not received by the required time stated in the regulations, action will be taken against the promoter. If a statement of return is not received for a collection undertaken, following a reminder, action will be taken against the promoter and no future permits will be granted.

Basildon Borough Council meet regularly with the Licensing Departments of all Local Authorities who issue street collection permits and with the Charity Commissioners. Any collector acting outside of the street collection regulations in any of the Local Authority areas will be reported. Permits may then be refused and action taken in the form of prosecution by the relevant Authority.